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Second Battle Of Io
The second Battle Of Io was a battle between a group of Clark loyalist earthforce vessels and a group of earth alliance resistance ships to acess the Io jumpgate in order to retake Earth. The Prelude Following the liberation of Proxima 3 by resistance forces, Earth Alliance President Clark devised that the resistance was attempting to push in towards earth in order to retake it from his control. Knowing that the Io jumpgate was the Sol systems main jumpgate, which allowed ships to leave and arrive the Sol system instantaneously, Clark assigned a small battle group of Earthforce ships loyal to him to guard the Io jumpgate in case an attack, and if necessary to destroy the jumpgate so that no one could use it. The Battle A group of battleships loyal to the Earth Alliance Resistance traveled to Jupiter using the previously secured Saturn Jumpgate. Early warning systems soon detected the presence of enemy ships and the leader of the Clark loyalist forces, captain Howard Pierce, ordered his ships to prepare for battle. The two Clark loyal vessels nearest the jumpgate, the EAS Ra and the EAS Chiron, accompanied by several Starfury patrol squadrons, immediately engaged the resistance fleet, but the ships were quickly overwhelmed and the Ra was destroyed, leaving the critically damaged Chiron to retreat. Two other Clark loyal ships, the Merrimac and the Ajax, broke formation to provide covering fire for the Chiron, while the rest of the loyalist fleet launched their fighters. In response, the approaching resistance forces did the same. The retreating Chiron was disabled and left to drift before the Ajax and the Merrimac could provide reinforcements, but both ships held their positions and launched their fighters, determined to hold the line against the enemy, no matter the cost. The combined might of the Ajax and the Merrimac were able to destroy scores of enemy fighters and several whitestars, but concentrated fire from six resistance vessels made short work of both ships, leaving their remaining fighters scattered and confused. The resistance fleet incapacitated the remaining fighters and pressed forwards towards Io station and the jumpgate. The Loyalist ships held formation and provided covering fire as their fighters engaged the enemy. Resistance forces managed to overcome the loyalist defenders after hours of fierce fighting. Realizing that they were fighting a losing battle, Howard Pierce ordered his damaged flagship, the Avenger, to ram the Io jumpgate, making sure that resistanice forces would never be able to threaten the safety of earth again. However, before his order could be carried out, his second in command, Jared Sorrel, forecibly removed him from command and ordered all the remaining loyalist ships to stand down. Strength Resistance Fleet: Clark Loyalist Fleet: Avenger, Leonov, Acropolis, Merrimac, Ra, Aeolus, Macarthur, Chiron, Ajax, Basilisk, Proteus, Hera, Tripoli, Hephaestus, Antioch, Pleiades, Astraeus, Sentinel, Akagi (19 ships in total) (6 ships and numerous starfuries destroyed, 1 defects, 1 surrenders) Resistance Fleet: Chimera, Osiris, Shiva, Valkyrie, Yorktown, Hornet, Cyclops, Argo, Janus, Bellerophon, Athena, Perseus(KIA), Intrepid(KIA), Saratoga, Yamato, Daedalus, Albion (KIA), Mako (KIA) and 10 whitestars